Jury Finds Yuma Man Guilty of Murder

(Phoenix, Ariz. - June 30, 2008) A Yuma County Superior Court jury has found Vincent Lee Accardo, 59, of Yuma, guilty of first degree murder and conspiracy to commit first degree murder in the 1997 death of Kenneth Cloud, 55, of Bard, Calif. The jury returned the verdict on Friday, June 27, after two and a half hours of deliberations.

In December 1997, Cloud was sitting in his pickup truck outside Burgers and Beer, 321 W. 20th Street in Yuma, after eating there when he was shot in the neck through the driver’s side window. The bullet hit a major artery, and Cloud was pronounced dead at Yuma Regional Medical Center.

In the next phase of the trial, which begins Tuesday, jurors will decide whether Accardo is eligible for the death penalty.

Kay Cloud, Kenneth Cloud’s wife, is also facing charges of first degree murder and conspiracy to commit first degree murder. She is accused of hiring Accardo to kill her husband. Her trial is expected to begin in the fall.

Assistant Attorneys General Frank Collins and Paul Ahler are prosecuting this case.